Severus' Longest Twenty Four Hours
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Severus was bitten by a magical creature and is poisoned with only twenty-four hours to live. Will his colleagues and students be able to save him from his illness in time? Set in Harry's third Hogwarts year. Completely AU, sick!Severus


**Severus****' Longest Twenty-four Hours **

"Severus, what's wrong with your hand?" Minerva queried, seeing that Severus was strangely clutching his hand as they entered the Great Hall together.

"Oh, I had to spend my free Saturday helping Hagrid with some of the beasts he keeps for his Care of Magical Creatures classes, and one of them bit me," Severus mumbled in a small voice, taking his usual seat at the Head table for dinner.

"Did it really bite you?" Minerva enquired, a worried expression on her face.

"Yes, but it's all right. It's not a great deal," Severus replied, not wanting his colleagues to fuss over him.

"It is, Severus. A magical creature's bite might be poisonous or can make you ill," Minerva contradicted in a lecturing voice, causing Severus to roll his eyes. "You better go to the hospital wing and ask Poppy about it."

"No, I'll go back to my quarters and get a head start on my grading work," Severus disagreed, not feeling hungry in the least. Ignoring his colleague's concerned looks, he slowly left the Great Hall and dragged himself back to his quarters and straight into his bedroom, sighing in relief as he let himself sink down on his bed. '_I wonder what the bite does_,' he mused. '_I really feel ill. Perhaps it would be better to go to the hospital wing_.' However, a small voice at the other side of his mind told him, '_Don't believe in Minerva's fussing. It's only a small bite_.'

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

In the meantime, Minerva worriedly addressed the Headmaster. "Albus, could you come with me to look after Severus, please? He was bitten by some of Hagrid's beasts for Care of Magical Creatures, and I don't think he's all right."

Albus stood up immediately and followed the Deputy Headmistress down into the dungeons. They found Severus curled up under his blankets, his hands fiercely gripping his pillow to prevent himself from crying out in pain. His face was deeply flushed, and beads of sweat were covering his forehead.

"Severus, what exactly happened?" Albus asked gently, carefully laying a hand on his colleague's forehead that felt clammy and hot.

"Something bit me as I helped Hagrid take care of his beasts for Care of Magical Creatures," Severus mumbled. "I don't feel good."

"Hospital wing, immediately," the Headmaster decided and conjured a stretcher, before he hurriedly took the teacher to Madam Pomfrey with an anxious Minerva in tow.

Severus sighed in relief as he felt himself being lowered on a soft bed, knowing he was in the hospital wing, where Poppy would be able to make him feel better. '_It's ridiculous_,' he thought, '_I'm glad to be in the hospital wing; that must be a first_.'

The Mediwitch quickly put up a privacy screen between Severus' bed and the one, where Hermione Granger was comforting Harry, who had come down with the wizard's flu. Then she hurriedly began to cast her diagnostic spells on Severus.

Minerva and Albus watched anxiously as the always calm Healer obviously began to panic at her readings. "His body seems to be full of mandicow poison, and his temperature is at forty-one (one hundred and five) degrees. I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for him. I give him twenty-four hours. We're in dire need of a wonder," she gravely told her colleagues.

"Out here now!" Snape weakly hissed at Hermione, who had stepped around the privacy screen as she heard their talking and stubbornly crossed her arms.

"No, Professor. If there is any chance to find something to help one of my teachers survive, I'm going to do research in order to find a way."

"Ms. Granger is right, Severus," McGonagall replied worriedly. "Severus, is there anything we can do?"

The Potions Master let out a long sigh as a violent shiver shook his body. "I know that there is an antidote against the mandicow poison; however, it takes a week to brew and can only be ingested within twenty-four hours after the end of the brewing process. Therefore it's impossible to receive the potion from St. Mungo's or any other place."

"But, Professor, there must be something we can do to help you. Can't we somehow accelerate the brewing process if we worked all together?" Hermione queried, panicking.

"I told you already..." Snape began to lecture the girl while Poppy hooked him onto an I.V. to get the strongest available fever reducer and pain relieving potions into his system. However, he was interrupted by Minerva.

"Severus, Ms. Granger is right. Let's try to think of something that might help you right in time."

"Poppy, are you sure about the twenty-four hours?" the Potions Master asked weakly.

"I'm sorry, Severus," the Mediwitch replied after confirming her earlier results.

Minerva, Albus, and Hermione remained pensive for a few minutes, watching in concern as Poppy tried in vain to get the professor's fever down.

"Severus, please try to relax. We'll do everything we can. We won't let you die," Poppy told him in a soft voice, fighting hard against the tears that were welling in her eyes.

All of a sudden, Hermione jumped onto her feet. "I know what we can do," she spoke up in excitement, causing everyone to look at her with a mixture of disbelief and hope.

"The time-turner," she blurted out. "I could use the time-turner to take him one week into the future."

"I believe that's a very good idea," Minerva said warmly, sighing in relief at the prospect of being able to save her youngest colleague, who had drifted into an unconscious state. "Poppy, what do you think? Will you be able to brew the potion for him?"

"Of course," Poppy replied. She was extremely competent at brewing, but it was not one of her favourite activities and she normally left it to the Potions Master, who was her best friend besides Minerva. "However, I need someone to assist me as I have to watch on my patients at the same time," she continued pensively.

"I'd love to assist, Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said immediately.

Poppy looked at Minerva for her consent to borrow her student for a week, noticing that the Gryffindor Head of House watched Hermione with a proud expression.

"Thank you, Ms. Granger," Poppy said gratefully. "Then I suggest that you send Severus exactly a week to the future, which means 168 hours, so we'll still have a few hours of space when he arrives. Thank God we won't have the full moon for another three weeks."

Hermione nodded and took her necklace with the time-turner off her neck, carefully putting it around the Potions Master's neck while Poppy gently lifted his head.

"Ms. Granger, don't hesitate sitting on the side of his bed. You have to make yourself comfortable enough, before you begin to turn the time-turner so many times," the Headmaster gently advised the girl, and Hermione noticed that the usual twinkle, which had been absent earlier, had returned to his eyes.

She sat on the edge of the bed and turned the time-turner, feeling extremely glad when her teachers counted together with her so she could concentrate on turning into the right direction. At everyone's counting, "One hundred and sixty-eight," she released the time-turner and stood up, watching anxiously as the Potions Master vanished from the sight.

"Don't worry, Ms. Granger, you did everything all right," Minerva reassured her in a gentle voice. "Now, Poppy, I'll be willing to help as well. Please tell me what to do."

Poppy sighed, remaining thoughtful for a minute. "Minerva, you can come here and see if we need your help whenever you have time. If it gets too busy here, I might even call you out of class. Albus, you're going to take over Severus' classes, aren't you?"

"Yes," the Headmaster replied gently. "I won't be of any help at brewing, but if there is anything else I could do, you only need to call me."

"Very well, Ms. Granger, are you ready to begin immediately, or would you like to return to your dormitory and get some sleep first?" Poppy queried, throwing the girl an assessing look.

"Of course I want to begin right away," Hermione replied and followed the Mediwitch into her office.

Poppy fetched a very old looking thick volume from her shelf, skimming it quickly, before she laid it onto her desk, pointing out a potion to Hermione.

"Ms. Granger, can you prepare the cauldron?" she asked businesslike, leading the girl into a small room adjacent to her office. "I need to go and fetch the necessary ingredients from Professor Snape's private lab."

"All right," Hermione agreed and immediately set to work.

During the next five hours, Hermione diligently prepared the ingredients, while Poppy began with the brewing process. "Now, the potion has to simmer for an hour, which I'll use to prepare the ingredients I'm going to use next. Please go and get some sleep. You can either lie down on the sofa in my office or on a free bed in the hospital wing. I'll wake you up in a few hours."

"But..."

"No buts," Poppy interrupted her sternly. "I don't want you to get sick, too."

"Okay," Hermione agreed. "Don't you want to get some sleep first?"

"No," the Mediwitch replied firmly, shooing her out of the lab.

Yawning, Hermione returned to Harry's bed side. Glancing at the wrist band Poppy had attached to his arm in order to be alerted if his fever spiked, she noticed that he was still very feverish and gently bathed his flushed face for a few minutes, before she groggily lay down on the bed next to her friend.

During the following days, Poppy and Hermione busied themselves brewing the potion for Severus. Each time the potion had to simmer for more than one hour, one of them went to sleep. Hermione was excused from all her classes but for once she didn't mind at all, knowing that it was much more important to save her teacher's life.

When Hermione stretched out on the bed next to the one Harry had occupied until Poppy had released him that morning of their fifth day of brewing, she suddenly felt slightly dizzy and noticed that her throat hurt. '_Oh no, I hope I won't get Harry's flu right now. I really don't have time to get sick_,' she mused, feeling horrified at the thought. Nevertheless, she couldn't prevent herself from developing a fever along with a splitting headache. She tried to hide her ailment from Poppy as well as she could, but the Mediwitch noticed quickly that the girl was ill and ran a diagnostic spell on her.

"Hermione, you're ill with the wizard's flu," she told the girl in a soft voice. "Please take these potions and go back to bed. I'll manage to finish the potion on my own."

Slightly shivering, Hermione gratefully gulped down the potions, throwing the Mediwitch a thankful look. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Now I feel much better. I won't let you alone with the brewing but assist you during the remaining day. There's only one day left, isn't it?" she queried, shocked at how hoarse her voice sounded.

Poppy sighed, knowing that she should send the girl to bed in spite of her protests. On the other hand, she wasn't feeling well herself and probably wouldn't be able to make it through the remaining thirty hours if she didn't have help so she could take short naps.

"Very well, you may assist, but you have to tell me if you feel worse or need to lie down," Poppy told Hermione, sliding a wrist band over the girl's wrist that would alert her if her fever rose more than a degree within a couple of hours.

On Saturday morning, Minerva entered the small lab in the hospital wing, eagerly looking into the cauldron. "In twelve hours, Severus is supposed to arrive. Will you have the potion ready?" she asked in utmost concern.

"It'll take us a few more hours, but I don't know exactly how long. I can only concentrate on the brewing right now," Poppy replied, trying to sound as healthy and fit as she could, causing Minerva to throw her friend a worried look.

"What's wrong with the two of you?" she queried, noticing that not only Poppy but also Hermione looked worse for the wear.

"We're both ill with the wizard's flu," Poppy croaked, "but we need to finish this. I'd prefer to see Ms. Granger in a bed, but I badly need someone as adept as her to prepare the ingredients for me."

Minerva worriedly glanced at Hermione's wrist band that showed 39.2 (102.5) degrees. "I'm going to stay here with you, and I'll keep any patients from you," she promised, causing Poppy to snort.

"Thank you, Minerva," Poppy replied gratefully, knowing that her friend wasn't even able to magically take a temperature.

Three hours later, the potion had to simmer for an hour, and Poppy sent Hermione to bed, instructing Minerva to look after her and keep her in bed. "It'll only take two more hours," she said, "and I should be able to prepare all the ingredients needed while the potion has to simmer."

"Very well," Minerva agreed and gently supported her student back to her bed. Noticing that Hermione sighed in relief as her head came to lie down on the pillow, she worriedly looked at the girl's wrist band, which showed a red '40.1' (104). She gently tucked her in and conjured a cold cloth, which she charmed to remain cool before adjusting it to the girl's forehead.

Hermione gratefully leaned into the cool touch. "Thank you," she mumbled groggily. "Pfessor, will Pfessor Snape arrive her? What if I sent him to the ice age? So cold here."

Minerva took a seat at the girl's side and gently took her hot hand into her own cool hand. "Hermione, I know that you sent him to the right time, and I'm sure he'll arrive later today. But you're very ill and need to rest."

"No, Madam Pomfrey needs me, have to brew," Hermione protested weakly, unaware of the fact that her body wasn't able to fight the illness any longer and succumbed to a healing sleep.

Minerva stood up, relieved to be able to return to her friend's side, knowing that Poppy would place her patients' health over her own. She worriedly entered the small lab, seeing that Poppy had propped her elbows onto the edge of the table, resting her head on her palms.

"Poppy, is there anything I can do for you?" Minerva queried, looking into the Healer's glassy eyes in concern.

"I have to continue brewing in twenty minutes," Poppy croaked, shivering startled when Minerva transfigured her seat into a comfortable arm chair and covered her with a warm blanket.

"Relax, Poppy, I'll wake you up," she said softly, before she conjured a magical thermometer and stuck the business end into her friend's mouth, frowning when Poppy didn't even bother to protest.

An instant later, the thermometer flared pink and voiced, "40.3 degrees of fever, a Healer's visit and absolute bed rest required."

"Oh, shut up," Poppy mumbled grumpily as she tried to fight off the fatigue threatening to overwhelm her.

"It's all right to nap for a few minutes," Minerva said softly as she conjured a cool cloth and proceeded to gently wipe her friend's flushed face.

Knowing she could absolutely rely on her best friend, Poppy allowed herself to drift off, only to be woken up shortly later. As if she was in a trance, she finished brewing the antidote, grateful that Minerva stayed at her side and closely compared her actions with the brewing instructions, managing to prevent her from stirring into the wrong direction twice.

"Finished," Poppy finally announced hoarsely, letting out a relieved sigh that turned into a coughing fit.

"Very well," Minerva commented. "Off to bed with you then."

"I need to prepare the I.V. for Severus first," the Mediwitch croaked as she filled the light yellowish liquid into a drip bag.

"Poppy, when do you and Ms. Granger need your potions and what exactly do you need?" Minerva asked as she gently led her colleague to the empty bed between Hermione's bed and the one in which Severus was supposed to arrive in a few hours' time.

"We need the next dose of the flu potion and a fever reducer at six o'clock this evening. We only have two phials of flu potion left though. I have to brew a batch later on," Poppy mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

Minerva spent the rest of the afternoon looking after Hermione and Poppy, who were both delirious and kept worrying about Severus.

"I turned the time-turner one hundred times, but that means four thousand years back to the ice age, and now I'm stuck with a fever of two thousand degrees and can't go to attend Potions class," Hermione croaked, causing Poppy to reply in concern.

"I probably made a mistake with the potion. It might kill Severus," she whispered before correcting herself, "but if he went to the ice age, he can't take the potion, so he might live, and it's not as hot as it is here."

Minerva shook her head in despair and just considered calling the Headmaster when Severus appeared on the bed next to Poppy with a thud.

"Poppy, wake up. Severus is here," she urgently told her friend, lightly shaking her shoulder.

However, only when she shook her more forcefully Poppy groggily opened her eyes but turned into Healer mode as soon as she noticed Severus lying in the bed next to her. She scrambled out of bed, glad that Minerva steadied her, and stepped over to Severus to exchange the drip bag of his I.V.

"All right, Poppy; go back to bed," Minerva ordered her after making sure the antidote was flowing into the Potions Master's system, but the Mediwitch heavily sat on the edge of Severus' bed, taking his wrist in her hand.

"Thank God," she breathed, sighing in relief as his temperature dropped several degrees.

"I have no idea what you did, but may I assume that you saved my life?" Severus' silky voice suddenly penetrated the two witches' ears.

"Ms Granger had a time-turner and sent you a week into the future, so Poppy and she could brew the antidote for you," Minerva explained quickly.

"Thank you, Poppy," Severus said gratefully, curiously looking around. "Is Ms Granger not here to personally convince herself of her success?"

"Severus!" Minerva admonished him lightly. "Poppy and Ms. Granger brewed your potion in spite of being ill with the flu, and Ms. Granger is fortunately asleep. Now Poppy, back to bed with you."

Poppy decided to ignore her colleague's order and proceeded to cast several diagnostic spells at Severus before she sighed contentedly.

"Minerva, I trust you to keep Severus in bed as long as his temperature exceeds thirty-eight degrees. Please wake me up if you think he is well enough to leave or the I.V. is finished."

Minerva agreed and helped Poppy back to bed, before she returned to Severus' side.

"You gave us quite a fright, young man."

"I'm sorry," the Potions Master replied evenly. "Is Poppy all right? She looks as bad as I felt earlier."

"She and Ms. Granger aggravated their conditions by brewing your potion, and they will need you to brew the next dose of flu potion for them."

"Very well. I'll brew a batch right away. I just need to take this annoying thing off." He set to take the I.V. off, causing Minerva to throw him a menacing glare.

"You don't think I'm going to let you take that off and have Poppy throw a fit in her condition?" she asked in her sternest voice she normally used for students in detention.

"Very well; then you have to come and assist me," Severus replied and walked over to Poppy's small lab, pulling the I.V. stand along with him. With Minerva's help, who prepared the ingredients for him since his left arm was incapacitated by the I.V., he brewed a batch of the flu potion, before he willingly returned to his bed.

"I'm sorry, Severus, for making you brew although you're not well yet," Minerva said softly as she gently tucked him in and laid a cool cloth on his forehead.

"You don't have to be sorry, Minerva; I'm fine, and it's a good feeling to be needed," Severus replied softly, before he lazily closed his eyes and drifted off into a much needed healing sleep.

**The End**

_

* * *

_

_

* * *

For MaritimeStars in return for her story, which she kindly wrote for me. _

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


End file.
